A report by the UK Airprox Board has revealed a paramotor was to blame for 'flying into conflict' with a Flybe plane last August, as reported in Belfast Live.

The commercial airline, carrying 70 passengers at the time, came within seconds of colliding with a paraglider at 195mph whilst approaching George Best Belfast City Airport.

Flight BE486 eventually landed safely on August 13 last year, after missing the manned craft at 2,000ft.

A paramotor is essentially a paragider powered by an engine and propeller at the rear.

In this case, the paraglider flew close to 100ft from the Embraer 170 plane, which could have resulted in disaster in the skies of Northern Ireland.

The report rated the incident as a category B, which states the safety was not assured due to the proximity with the paramotor, and there are now calls for the Civil Aviation Authority to review its licensing requirements for paramotor pilots.

The incident happened so quickly

According to the report, the Flybe pilot first thought he had seen a large drone crossing flight path, but it was turned out to be a paraglider.

The pilot immediately reported the incident to air traffic controllers, with the paraglider passing nearly 100ft down the side of the aircraft.

The incident happened so quickly that no evaisive action could be taken, and it was lucky that the paraglider did not hit the plane.

The paramotor had not gained clearance from air traffic control, which is required when entering Category D airspace, and the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (BHPA) stated "it was most fortunate that a collision did not occur."

It is believed that the pilot was not a BHPA member, and as such probably had not participated in their formal training programme.

On the finding's, Flybe’s Chief Operating Officer Timo Anderson said:“We note the findings contained in the Airprox Report and concur the recommendations made.

“Safety is always Flybe’s number one priority and we employ a rigorous approach to ensuring the very highest standards are met and maintained at all times to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew.”